Forum member joesonvolt from Quebec has been working on a new model ERDTT switch as a successor to his original. I’ve been in correspondence with him and a few days ago I received the new model hot off his workbench.
The new version is in the form of a Y cable. The foot of the Y is an I/O switch. The top arms of the Y are a green male connector and a black female connector. The original temperature sensor in the car has an identical green male connector. During installation, this connector is detached and the new Y cable is plugged into the two original male and female connections. There is no need to remove the temperature sensor from its mounting near the radiator. The I/O switch allows either the original sensor or the new resistor to be inline. If the resistor path is used, the outside temperature will read significantly higher than it actually is, deterring the Engine Running Due To Temperature.
The hard part of the installation is accessing the sensor and its connector. One method is to remove the front passenger wheel and then the inside wheel well panel. An alternate way is go from below the car and remove a plastic shield to get to the sensor, and I decided on this method. I’ve never enjoyed laying on a garage floor working on a car whose front end is up on ramps though, so I called up my friendly neighborhood car repair shop and asked if they would let me use one of their lifts and work with me to install the cable. They readily agreed and it took us about twenty-five minutes to raise the Volt, get the shield off, locate the sensor, and install the new cable. Now that we know where everything is, we could probably do it in ten to fifteen minutes.
I routed the I/O cable up through the gas generator space and fastened the switch discretely near the passenger side headlight housing. We are due for a bout of frigid air here in West Michigan over the next few days, so I was glad to get this modification done. Today the outside temperature dropped to 30 degrees, but the dashboard reading showed 56 degrees, so the mod is apparently working.
The quality of the design and build of the cable is high. There are also little extra touches: including zip ties for securing the cable, a dustproof flexible transparent cap for the I/O switch, and even a dab of dielectric grease inside the female connector. The new model switch can be found here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Chevrolet-Volt-Add-on-for-external-temp-sensor-prevent-engine-running-ERDLT-/281495720520?pt=Automotive_Services&hash=item418a73d248&vxp=mtr]
A nod of thanks to forum member ari_c for some helpful hints on installation and forum member somms for his pictures of the sensor location here:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?85874-Any-way-to-stop-the-engine-from-running-so-much-in-the-winter&p=1140098#post1140098
Cheers!
The new version is in the form of a Y cable. The foot of the Y is an I/O switch. The top arms of the Y are a green male connector and a black female connector. The original temperature sensor in the car has an identical green male connector. During installation, this connector is detached and the new Y cable is plugged into the two original male and female connections. There is no need to remove the temperature sensor from its mounting near the radiator. The I/O switch allows either the original sensor or the new resistor to be inline. If the resistor path is used, the outside temperature will read significantly higher than it actually is, deterring the Engine Running Due To Temperature.
The hard part of the installation is accessing the sensor and its connector. One method is to remove the front passenger wheel and then the inside wheel well panel. An alternate way is go from below the car and remove a plastic shield to get to the sensor, and I decided on this method. I’ve never enjoyed laying on a garage floor working on a car whose front end is up on ramps though, so I called up my friendly neighborhood car repair shop and asked if they would let me use one of their lifts and work with me to install the cable. They readily agreed and it took us about twenty-five minutes to raise the Volt, get the shield off, locate the sensor, and install the new cable. Now that we know where everything is, we could probably do it in ten to fifteen minutes.
I routed the I/O cable up through the gas generator space and fastened the switch discretely near the passenger side headlight housing. We are due for a bout of frigid air here in West Michigan over the next few days, so I was glad to get this modification done. Today the outside temperature dropped to 30 degrees, but the dashboard reading showed 56 degrees, so the mod is apparently working.
The quality of the design and build of the cable is high. There are also little extra touches: including zip ties for securing the cable, a dustproof flexible transparent cap for the I/O switch, and even a dab of dielectric grease inside the female connector. The new model switch can be found here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Chevrolet-Volt-Add-on-for-external-temp-sensor-prevent-engine-running-ERDLT-/281495720520?pt=Automotive_Services&hash=item418a73d248&vxp=mtr]
A nod of thanks to forum member ari_c for some helpful hints on installation and forum member somms for his pictures of the sensor location here:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?85874-Any-way-to-stop-the-engine-from-running-so-much-in-the-winter&p=1140098#post1140098
Cheers!